Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Articles

Browse more than 65,000 articles authored by our scientists over the past 100+ year history of the USGS and refine search by topic, location, year, and advanced search.

Filter Total Items: 77762

Municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plant effluent contributions to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the Potomac River: A basin-scale measuring and modeling approach Municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plant effluent contributions to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the Potomac River: A basin-scale measuring and modeling approach

Managing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water resources requires a basin-scale approach. Predicted environmental concentrations (PEC) and stream-vulnerability scores for PFAS were determined for the Potomac River watershed in the eastern United States. Approximately 15% of stream reaches contained municipal and/or industrial wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharges...
Authors
Larry B. Barber, Samuel Adam Miller, Lee Blaney, Paul M. Bradley, Kaycee E. Faunce, Jacob Fleck, Malinda Frick, Ke He, Ryan D. Hollins, Conor J. Lewellyn, Emily H. Majcher, Mitchell A. McAdoo, Kelly Smalling

Relations of groundwater quality to long-term surface disposal of produced water near the Midway-Sunset and Buena Vista Oil Fields, California, USA Relations of groundwater quality to long-term surface disposal of produced water near the Midway-Sunset and Buena Vista Oil Fields, California, USA

Contamination of groundwater by oil-field fluids in proximity to oil and gas development has been an issue of concern to water users and regulators given long histories of development and legacy disposal practices. A robust set of geochemical tracers including petroleum hydrocarbon compounds, thermogenic gases, inorganic ion concentrations, stable isotopes, radioactive isotopes, and...
Authors
Riley Gannon, Matthew K. Landon, Justin T. Kulongoski, Michael J. Stephens, Lyndsay B. Ball, John G. Warden, Tracy Davis, Janice M. Gillespie, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli

Recent large-scale prescribed fire treatments reduced Carr Fire severity at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area Recent large-scale prescribed fire treatments reduced Carr Fire severity at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area

Background Severe fire weather is becoming more common throughout the western United States. Changing conditions demand a better understanding of how prescribed fire treatments perform under extreme burning conditions, including the interactive influence of the age of treatments, vegetation, and fire weather. The Carr Fire of July 2018 burned nearly the entire land area of Whiskeytown...
Authors
Jill J. Beckman, Phillip J. van Mantgem, Micah C. Wright, Eamon Engber

Survival of captive-raised light-footed Ridgway’s rails is influenced by release date and time in wild Survival of captive-raised light-footed Ridgway’s rails is influenced by release date and time in wild

Captive breeding and translocation programs are an increasingly common conservation tool and management strategy used for some of the rarest and most endangered species in the world. These programs come at a high cost, and many translocation programs fail to monitor animals after release. Light-footed Ridgway’s rails (Rallus obsoletus levipes) are federally endangered marsh birds endemic...
Authors
Kimberly A. Sawyer, Courtney J. Conway

Spatial and temporal variation in dissolved organic matter in urban streams in metropolitan Boston, Massachusetts (USA) Spatial and temporal variation in dissolved organic matter in urban streams in metropolitan Boston, Massachusetts (USA)

Urban riverine systems are heterogeneous, and the substantial variability in impervious cover, riparian cover, wetlands, and wastewater and stormwater infrastructure affect sources and transport of dissolved organic matter (DOM), of which dissolved organic C (DOC) is a substantial component. An understanding of the quantity, bioavailability, and timing of DOM inputs (a key energy source...
Authors
Annika M. Quick, Allison H. Roy, Rebecca L. Hale, Kristina G. Hopkins, Shuo Chen, Liz D. Ortiz Muñoz

Marsh sediment in translation: A review of sediment transport across a natural tidal salt marsh in northern San Francisco Bay Marsh sediment in translation: A review of sediment transport across a natural tidal salt marsh in northern San Francisco Bay

Deposition of inorganic sediment is essential for the sustainability of tidal salt marshes. Understanding variability in sediment sources and the processes of sediment delivery to salt marshes are high priorities for decision-makers responsible for managing sediment and conserving and restoring marshes. Research on sediment transport to marshes is published in technical journals, but...
Authors
Madeline R. Foster-Martinez, Matthew C. Ferner, John C. Callaway, Brenda Goeden, Jessica R. Lacy

Abundance of ohiʻa-associated ambrosia beetles in two sites with rapid ohiʻa death outbreaks Abundance of ohiʻa-associated ambrosia beetles in two sites with rapid ohiʻa death outbreaks

ʻŌhiʻa lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha Gaudich.) is the dominant tree in native Hawaiian forests but is threatened by two pathogenic fungi (Ceratocystis spp.) which cause Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD). Understanding the spread of ROD is vital to informing prevention and management strategies. Ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) contribute to the spread of disease by...
Authors
Helen Sofaer, Sophia Smith, Robert W. Peck, Ellen Dunkle, Jorden Zarders, Naiʻa Odachi, Ryan L. Perroy

Fine-grained temporal population monitoring of a declining, critically endangered Hawaiian honeycreeper Fine-grained temporal population monitoring of a declining, critically endangered Hawaiian honeycreeper

Annual point counts are commonly used to monitor birds to track population densities across space and time. Palila (Loxioides bailleui) are surveyed annually in the first quarter, but we recently instituted quarterly sampling that offers a unique opportunity to improve estimator precision. We conducted point-transect distance sampling point counts during the first quarter of 2020 through...
Authors
Richard J. Camp, Chauncey K. Asing, Noah J. Hunt, Alexander Wang, Chris Farmer, Lindsey Neitmann, Paul C. Banko

Resolution sensitivities for subgrid modeling of coastal flooding Resolution sensitivities for subgrid modeling of coastal flooding

Flooding due to storm surge can propagate through coastal regions to threaten the built and natural environments. This propagation is controlled by geographic features of varying scales, from the largest oceans to the smallest marsh channels and sandy dunes. Numerical models to predict coastal flooding have been improved via the use of subgrid corrections, which use information about the...
Authors
Johnathan Lucas Woodruff, Joel C. Dietrich, Damrongsak Wirasaet, Andrew B. Kennedy, Diogo Bolster, Richard A. Luettich

Evaluating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) prevalence and potential for biological effects in Lake Superior tributaries Evaluating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) prevalence and potential for biological effects in Lake Superior tributaries

Several per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are Great Lakes binational chemicals of mutual concern. Although known to be persistent, data gaps regarding PFAS prevalence and biological effects exist, especially within Lake Superior’s watershed. In this 2022 study of 27 United States tributaries to Lake Superior, water samples were collected during spring runoff, summer baseflow...
Authors
Matthew A. Pronschinske, Steven R. Corsi, Sarah M. Elliott, Martin M. Shafer, Kristen Hannon, Kaitlyn Gruber, Christina K. Remucal

Integrated distribution modeling resolves asynchrony between bat population impacts and occupancy trends through latent abundance Integrated distribution modeling resolves asynchrony between bat population impacts and occupancy trends through latent abundance

Monitoring populations is challenging for cryptic species with seasonal life cycles, where data from multiple field techniques are commonly collected and analyzed as multiple lines of evidence. Data integration can provide comprehensive inferences while improving accuracy, precision, and scope but faces challenges in modeling misaligned resolutions and observational uncertainties. We...
Authors
Bradley James Udell, Christian Stratton, Kathryn Irvine, Bethany R. Straw, Jonathan D. Reichard, Sarah M. Gaulke, Jeremy. T.H. Coleman, Frank C Tousley, Andrea Nichole Schuhmann, Rich D. Inman, Melinda Turner, Sarah Nystrom, Brian E. Reichert
Was this page helpful?